


Looking For Group

by MirrorMystic



Series: Where The Lines Overlap [8]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV, Persona 5
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Crushes, F/F, Fluff, Multi, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 06:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11823222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MirrorMystic/pseuds/MirrorMystic
Summary: I'm not used to it / but I can learn...In which Hifumi tackles this whole 'socializing' nonsense with the power of gaming.(Or, alternatively: Hifumi discovers that it takes four to party.)





	Looking For Group

**Author's Note:**

> _I'm not used to it_   
>  _But I can learn_   
>  _There's nothing to it_   
>  _I've never been happier..._
> 
> After what I'm going to be putting Hifumi through in The Second Renaissance, I figured she deserves a chance to just have some fun. As for in-game outfit references, here's Futaba: https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/glamour/megumin-from-konosuba
> 
> And Hifumi: http://www.my-lolita-dress.com/little-dipper-chapter-of-the-pledge-ouji-long-coat-ld-54
> 
> Please enjoy this sweet, silly little fic while I continue to debate whether I can go back to sinking three hours a day into FFXIV. I hope you all enjoy the read. ^^

****~*~  
  
Being a celebrity was rather lonely, all told.  
  
It also wasn’t as exciting as one might think. Sure, there were the photoshoots, the magazine interviews, the occasional TV spot. But her particular brand of celebrity wasn’t the sort that came with an entourage, or had her dodging paparazzi wherever she went.  
  
Mostly, it was Hifumi sitting by herself in the campus cafeteria, watching the world go by.  
  
It was Hifumi, picking at her bento while her fellow students walked past without so much as a passing glance, while a shogi board sat on the table before her in an open invitation.  
  
Hifumi had to train herself not to flinch whenever anybody looked her way. It was the classic introvert’s dilemma, caught between the familiarity of solitude and the daunting prospect of social interaction.  
  
It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to make friends. But the other women in her shogi league were too distant, either figuratively or literally, and her attempt to join the on-campus league ended… poorly. As it turned out, being the only master in a room full of amateurs felt terribly isolating. Nobody wanted to play her. Nobody wanted their pride bruised that badly.  
  
Hifumi Togo was in a league of her own.  
  
Which, y’know, would be nice if she at least had someone to talk to.  
  
“Um… hello.”  
  
Hifumi almost choked, anxiety fluttering in her chest. Damn it all! Someone talking to her while her mouth was full- another of her social nemeses. She hurriedly finished chewing, hiding her mouth behind a napkin, hoping she would come across as ‘prim’ rather than ‘flustered’.  
  
She looked up.  
  
“...H-Hello,” Hifumi breathed.  
  
There was a woman standing across the table, a hand lingering on the opposite chair. She was smartly-dressed in a long, belted white blouse and capris. Her hair was chestnut-brown and boyishly short. And her eyes…  
  
Her eyes, wine-red, were about the most stunning eyes Hifumi had ever seen.  
  
It took a moment for Hifumi to realize that she was staring, like a deer in headlights.  
  
“I’m sorry,” the other woman said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”  
  
“No, no,” Hifumi stammered. “It’s- It’s quite alright.”  
  
“I’m Makoto,” she smiled. She nodded towards the board. “May I have this game?”  
  
~*~  
  
It was not so much a match as a massacre.  
  
Hifumi gazed out across the devastation, her lips curling into a wicked smile. Her gorgeous black steed picked its way through the bodies littering the ground. Her honor guard followed in her wake- bishops, robed in black, looking less like men of faith and more like judges of the dead.  
  
Makoto was on the ground, the shattered bodies of her men arrayed around her. Her brilliant snow-white cloak was stained black and red.  
  
Hifumi dismounted and approached her on foot, her boots crunching on grass made brittle with drying blood.  
  
“It’s over,” Hifumi declared, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. “Do you concede defeat?”  
  
Makoto smiled thinly. “This battle may be over. But the war is yet to be won.”  
  
“You should have the grace and dignity to know when you’re beaten,” Hifumi sniffed. “Do you concede?”  
  
“No,” Makoto said, beautiful in her defiance. “Never.”  
  
“Very well,” Hifumi growled. Her sword flashed in her hands…  
  
~*~  
  
Hifumi’s tile slammed into place with an echoing snap.  
  
“Checkmate,” Hifumi announced, matter-of-fact.  
  
“That’s what I get for playing a master,” Makoto sighed.  
  
“Now, don’t say that,” Hifumi said, folding her hands primly in her lap. “Your men broke under the fury of my forces, but you stood proud until the end. _I_ think you made a wonderful queen.”  
  
Makoto raised a bemused eyebrow. “Is that so?”  
  
The blush that flashed across Hifumi’s cheeks was as sudden and ferocious as her victory over Makoto just moments ago.  
  
“I…” Hifumi cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. I was, ah… in-character.”  
  
Embarrassment simmered beneath Hifumi’s skin. And then, damn it all, Makoto had to _laugh_ .  
  
“That’s so cute,” Makoto smiled, in a way that made Hifumi want to climb under a rock and die. “When are your classes?”  
  
Hifumi sighed. Her cheeks were still hot. “...Oh, you know… I’m here pretty much every day. To be honest, this is the first time anyone’s ever joined me for a game…”  
  
“Well, it won’t be the last.”  
  
Makoto stood and slung her bag over her shoulder.  
  
“Thank you for the match,” Makoto said. She offered Hifumi her hand. “Lunchtime, tomorrow?”  
  
Hifumi blinked. For such an innocuous question, it made her heart race, in a way that she didn’t quite understand. Was she really so flustered at the thought of simply making plans? Must be the social anxiety acting up again.  
  
“Yes,” Hifumi said after a long moment, having abruptly remembered to keep up her part of the conversation. “I’ll be here.”  
  
Hifumi gently took Makoto’s hand- and, to her quiet horror, Makoto didn’t shake it. They just stood there, hands clasped.  
  
Hifumi had the sudden, absurd thought that Makoto might lift up her hand and kiss it.  
  
“I’ll look forward to it,” Makoto smiled, before pulling her hand away. She waved goodbye, and disappeared into the swell of students bustling down the hall.  
  
Hifumi watched her go, a strange warmth lingering in her heart and in her hands.  
  
~*~  
  
**_Hifumi_ ** _is now online._ _  
_ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: FUMIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_ _  
_ **_Kana_ ** _: Fumi! =D_ _  
_ **_Kana_ ** _: Good evening!_ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: fuckin’ FINALLY_ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: we’ve been sitting around in queue all day_ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: “average wait time five minutes” my ass_ _  
_ **_Kana_ ** _: How was your day?_ _  
_ **_Kana_ ** _: Hifumi?_ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: you there?????_ _  
_ **_Hifumi_ ** _: Hello, Kana. Hello, ‘Taba._ _  
_ **_Hifumi_ ** _: I apologize. I was taking a moment to collect myself._ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: ?????_ _  
_ **_Kana_ ** _: Are you okay? Did something happen?_ _  
_ **_Hifumi_ ** _: Nothing bad, I assure you._ _  
_ **_Hifumi_ ** _: It’s just, well… earlier today…_ _  
_ **_Hifumi_ ** _: I met this girl._ _  
_ **_Kana_ ** _: Ooooh!_ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: OOOOOOOOOOH_ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: was she hot_ _  
_ **_Kana_ ** _: Taba! >:| _ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: WAS SHE HOT THO_ _  
_ **_Hifumi_ ** _: She was… nice._ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: ANSWER THE QUESTION_  
  
~*~  
  
Lunchtime with Makoto became something to treasure. Hifumi went from having no friends at school to having someone she could always look forward to seeing. Their meeting turned Hifumi’s world upside down practically overnight. The introvert in her was overwhelmed by all the sudden interaction. The lonely soul in her, on the other hand, was abundantly grateful.  
  
Makoto made school infinitely better. A few weeks into their new friendship, when Hifumi had made the mortifying mistake of saying so, in so many words, Makoto had only smiled.  
  
“If you’re going from zero to one, that’s literally true,” Makoto said. “At least in a multiplicative sense.”  
  
Makoto handed her a bottle of soda, beading in the heat. Their fingers touched, just long enough for the moment to engrave itself in Hifumi’s memory.  
  
“For my part,” Makoto murmured, taking a sip of her own soda. “I’m glad I met you, too.”  
  
The warm sentiment lingered, too heavy, and too warm, for the breezy spring. Hifumi cleared her throat, fidgeting, nodding towards her shogi board between them.  
  
“You’re getting better,” Hifumi said.  
  
“Am I?” Makoto raised a dubious eyebrow. “You’ve spent the past few weeks utterly crushing me in the politest way possible.”  
  
“And yet, each and every time, you put up more and more of a fight,” Hifumi smiled.  
  
Makoto’s tidy smile broke into a cocky, jocular grin. “I’m nothing if not a fighter.”  
  
Something fluttered in Hifumi’s chest. It took her a moment to realize it was her phone. She reached into the inside pocket of her blazer, flashing Makoto a sheepish smile. Futaba’s icon blinked on her screen.  
  
**_Futaba_ ** _: hey Fumi wyd_ _  
_ **_Hifumi_ ** _: I’m with Makoto right now. We just finished a game._ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: oh yeah????_ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: so did you totally dominate her or what_ _  
_ **_Hifumi_ ** _: Please don’t phrase it like that._ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: also_ _  
_ **_Futaba_ ** _: did you ask her yet?_ _  
_  
Hifumi blanched. She cleared her throat, stuffing her phone back into her jacket. Makoto watched her, eyes heavy with concern.  
  
“Is everything alright?” she asked.  
  
“It’s okay,” Hifumi said, though when she looked up and met Makoto’s wine-red eyes, her heart caught in her throat. She cleared her throat again. “Um. Makoto?”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
Anxiety closed around her throat like a vice. Hifumi made a noise, halfway between a cough and a squeak. She took a sip of her too-hot chocolate, burning her throat on the way down.  
  
If Futaba asked her why she couldn’t do it, she could always blame a burnt tongue.  
  
Makoto watched Hifumi’s anguished silence, one eyebrow slowly arching upwards. Hifumi took a deep breath and sighed.  
  
She abruptly slammed her palms on the table and got to her feet.  
  
“Makoto,” Hifumi announced, her heart pounding in her chest.  
  
Makoto blinked up at her, caught off-guard. A hint of red flashed across her cheeks.  
  
“Y-Yes, Hifumi?”  
  
Hifumi swallowed hard.  
  
“Will you…”  
  
Hifumi screwed her eyes shut.  
  
“Will you join my guild?”  
  
~*~  
  
Akihabara, Tokyo. Japan’s very own Electric Town, a digital Mecca for geeks, gamers, and anyone looking for the best household electronics money could buy, like Futaba was today.  
  
Futaba was scanning the aisles with manic glee, dragging her best friend, Kana, along by the hand. She was still riding the high of she and Kana’s mutual confession just the other day. The thrill of young love, mixed with the rush of hunting for sales, and one of Futaba’s natural manic upswings, made for a dangerous combination. She shot down the aisles, her hair flying behind her like the tail of a comet, filled to bursting with explosive enthusiasm.  
  
Trailing in their wake, and at a significantly calmer pace, were Akira and Makoto, pushing a shopping cart.  
  
“So, _you_ were Hifumi’s mystery date, huh?” Akira asked, casually.  
  
“I’m not her _date_ ,” Makoto demurred. “And it was hardly a mystery. What, you mean to tell me she’s never mentioned me by name?”  
  
“Do you know how many ‘Makoto’s live in Tokyo? You could’ve been anybody.”  
  
“That’s not true,” Makoto said. She met his eyes, expression flat. “I’m one of a kind.”  
  
Akira snorted.  
  
Their nice, measured stroll was interrupted by Futaba running up to them and dropping an armful of computer parts into their cart. She stopped to receive a brief, affectionate headpat from Akira and Makoto in turn, before bolting off, Kana in tow, chattering a mile a minute.  
  
“They look like they’re having fun,” Makoto said, smiling.  
  
“Yeah,” Akira murmured, warm.  
  
“You know…” Makoto tapped her chin thoughtfully. “...with her hair, and her glasses… Kana looks a lot like a shorter, girlier you.”  
  
“I’m trying really hard not to read into that,” Akira grimaced.  
  
“I’m just saying,” Makoto teased. “Maybe Futaba has a type…?”  
  
Akira rolled his eyes.  
  
As if on cue, Futaba came bursting out of an aisle ahead of them, a box in her hands. She held it above her head in triumph, and seemed just about ready to jump up and slam dunk it into their cart. Kana, currently the last remaining shred of Futaba’s impulse control, stopped her with her arms around Futaba’s waist. Futaba squeaked and squirmed in Kana’s grasp, while Kana helped her _gently_ lower the box into the cart.  
  
Akira smiled and shook his head, while Makoto tried valiantly to pretend like that wasn’t one of the cutest things she’d ever seen.  
  
“Remind me why we’re here again?” Akira asked.  
  
“Duh!” Futaba said. She held up the box, Kana squeaking in alarm that she might try to slam it down into the cart again. “We’re _obviously_ here to pop Makoto’s gaming cherry!”  
  
“Please don’t phrase it like that,” Makoto muttered.  
  
“Do you have any idea what this is?” Futaba asked. She barreled on without waiting for an answer. “It’s a genuine CC Corp HMD- that’s ‘head mounted display’- and they’re the cutting edge of full immersion gaming!”  
  
“They’re VR goggles,” Kana offered helpfully.  
  
“They’re the _best_ VR goggles!” Futaba announced proudly.  
  
“Okay, okay,” Akira said. “Maybe what I meant to say was, ‘what am _I_ doing here?’”  
  
“Um? Because you love me? And want to spend time with me? You jackass?” Futaba chided, indignant. “And because you… said… murble… burble…”  
  
“Uh, what was that last part?” Akira asked, through Futaba’s mumbling.  
  
“Um,” Futaba cleared her throat. “Because you said my next trip to Akihabara would be on you?”  
  
Akira sighed. He looked at their cart, and then back to Futaba.  
  
Futaba gave him a smile that was more of a wince.  
  
“...I love you?” she offered, sheepish.  
  
Akira lifted his hand and rested it in Futaba’s hair.  
  
“I love you,” he said wearily. “Let’s pop Makoto’s gaming cherry.”  
  
~*~  
  
Makoto wasn’t sure what she was expecting ‘the cutting edge of full immersion gaming’ to look like. But she certainly didn’t expect it to be so simple- just a sleek visor, like a pair of safety glasses with built-in headset, and a pair of gloves. Makoto tugged on the gloves and started adjusting her headset.  
  
“Where are your roommates?” Hifumi asked, from Makoto’s laptop.  
  
“They’re not home,” Makoto replied. “Ann’s out having her birthday week grand finale with Shiho and Ryuji. They’ve spent all week going back and forth on who can spoil her more. Today’s the tiebreaker.”  
  
“Who would you say has the advantage?” Hifumi wondered.  
  
“I would say Shiho, but then, I’m biased,” Makoto smiled. “My guess is, they’ll take turns stuffing her full of sweets, and then when Ann’s too full to move, they’ll all have a nice cuddle.”  
  
“Mm,” Hifumi murmured. “I wouldn’t mind one of those.”  
  
Makoto smirked. “Is that so?”  
  
The moment lingered, and said it all.  
  
“...Anyway,” Hifumi continued, “on the side of your headset, there should be a button to link your headset to your computer’s audio.”  
  
“Just a sec,” Makoto said. She found the switch, and clicked it in. A small blue light appeared above her right temple. “Got it.”  
  
“Can you hear me?” Hifumi asked. “How do I sound?”  
  
A shiver crawled up Makoto’s spine and prickled the back of her neck.  
  
“...like you’re right here with me,” Makoto said softly.  
  
“Oh, yeah?” Hifumi all but purred.  
  
“Mmhmm,” Makoto murmured. She pulled her visor down over her eyes, blinking. “Here in this… swirly blue void.” Makoto looked down. “Annnnd I’m in my underwear.”  
  
“Oh!” Hifumi cleared her throat. “That must be the, uh, character creator.”  
  
Makoto’s earphones chirped twice.  
  
“Hello!” Kana began.  
  
“TELL ME I DIDN’T MISS IT!” Futaba screeched into Makoto’s headphones.  
  
“Don’t worry,” Makoto said, wincing. “You didn’t miss anything.”  
  
“Hello, girls,” Hifumi said. “Makoto’s all set up. She’s creating her character now.”  
  
“Ooooh, I’m excited!” Kana chirped.  
  
“Same,” Futaba said. Makoto could hear the grin in her voice.  
  
Makoto stood in a shimmering blue void, surrounded by drifting crystals. Glowing panels floated in the abyss. She hovered her hand over each of them, studying their contents.  
  
“What are you gonna play as?” Futaba chittered in Makoto’s ear. The audio quality of her headphones were astounding- it really was as if Futaba were right there with her, climbing over her and peering over her shoulder.  
  
“I’m not sure,” Makoto muttered, considering. “What are your characters?”  
  
“Taba and I are both Lalafell,” Kana offered. “Those are the little, chibi, Hobbit-looking guys.”  
  
“And you, Hifumi?”  
  
“I play an Au Ra,” Hifumi said proudly. “I’m a dragon lady.”  
  
“What! I want to be a dragon!”  
  
“Unfortunately, you can’t be a dragon until you play through to the expansion,” Kana explained.  
  
“Also, they’re not _dragon_ dragons,” Futaba cut in. “They just have, like, the horns and the tails.”  
  
“Oh, that’s no fun.”  
  
“Right?!”  
  
“As for the rest,” Kana continued, “you can be a typical human, or an elf…”  
  
“You can be seven feet tall, have blue skin, and be part of the Navy,” Hifumi offered.  
  
“That seems oddly specific,” Makoto muttered, flicking through her options. She blinked. “Oh! I can be a catgirl!”  
  
“Please don’t,” Futaba squeaked. “This server’s already full to bursting with catpeople.”  
  
“Let her choose,” Kana chided.  
  
“I think I have something in mind,” Makoto smiled.  
  
“Excellent,” Hifumi said. “Then we’ll all wait for you inside.”  
  
“Where should I meet you guys?” Makoto asked.  
  
“Where else?” Futaba chimed in, eager. “Four people, starting an adventure together? Obviously, we all meet in an inn!”  
  
~*~  
  
Hifumi was certain that The Quicksand in Ul’Dah was quite unlike any inn Makoto would have ever been to. Aside from it being in the desert, and thus unlikely to have any hot springs, there was also the crowd to consider.  
  
The inn was packed. Hifumi, Futaba and Kana were lucky to find an empty table. Hifumi sat primly, her hands folded in her lap, the very picture of elegance and poise. Futaba and Kana, short as they were, were obliged to simply stand on their chairs. All around them, their fellow players were embroiled in rapt, private conversation, their character names flagged with a telltale ‘RP’ icon, content to leave the trio to themselves.  
  
“Man, I love character creation,” Futaba was saying. “Have you ever just started up a new game, and spent a bunch of time poking around the character creator, and then you never actually play the game?”  
  
“No…?” Kana said.  
  
“Yeah, turns out that’s called depression,” Futaba grinned. “Go figure.”  
  
“Okay, I’m coming inside,” Makoto’s disembodied voice called out to them.  
  
“We’re over here!” Futaba called.  
  
Makoto lingered outside the inn, much like she would in real life, tugging at the hem of her skirt and wondering if she wasn’t underdressed. That concern promptly vanished when she stepped into the Quicksand and saw just what sort of crowd she was dealing with. She raised a bemused eyebrow, joining the trio at their table.  
  
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many scantily clad catboys in my entire life,” Makoto mused. Futaba barked out an ugly laugh.  
  
“Don’t worry about them,” Kana said. “They’re just RPers. This server takes roleplaying pretty seriously.”  
  
“I can see that,” Makoto nodded towards a corner, where a Lalafell all in white lay draped over the table. “There’s even someone roleplaying a tablecloth.”  
  
“They’re _really_ dedicated,” Futaba said.  
  
“Well, come here,” Hifumi smiled, coy. “Let’s have a look at you.”  
  
Something about the way Hifumi worded that stirred up a funny feeling in Makoto’s chest. She knew she had no mind for fashion. Sae normally took it upon herself to pick out her wardrobe, and it seems this game had done the same. Makoto stood, in a plain white blouse, skirt, and thigh-high boots (which Makoto wasn’t entirely sure she could pull off), fidgeting under the attentive eyes of her friends.  
  
The trio, meanwhile, looked the part of longtime players. Kana was garbed in a classic ninja outfit, complete with scarf, festooned with throwing knives. Futaba was wearing a classic witch’s hat, along with a belted red dress beneath a gold-trimmed black cloak. Something about that outfit seemed vaguely familiar, but then, this wouldn’t be the first time anime references went over Makoto’s head. And then, there was Hifumi, in a devastatingly fashionable black coat trimmed with blue and gold. Makoto sucked in a breath. She looked-  
  
“Lovely,” Hifumi nodded in approval. “You look lovely.”  
  
“Th-Thank you,” Makoto stammered.  
  
“Aww,” Futaba whined. “You just look like yourself!”  
  
“It wasn’t my first choice,” Makoto muttered. “If it were up to me, I’d be a dragon right now. Besides, you all look like yourselves!”  
  
“Do not!”  
  
“Yes, you do,” Makoto pressed. “You and Kana are still small and adorable, Hifumi’s still gorgeous-”  
  
“What?” Hifumi hissed.  
  
“What?” Makoto blinked.  
  
Their eyes met for a long moment. Futaba snickered beside them.  
  
Kana cleared her throat, and hopped down off her seat.  
  
“...So!” Kana said brightly. “Let’s, um… let’s get this party started!”  
  
“Lame!” Futaba called out.  
  
Kana giggled in faux-indignation. She chased Futaba out the door, both of them laughing all the while, Hifumi and Makoto trailing at their heels.  
  
~*~  
  
There were, Makoto was discovering, three types of players. Some, like Hifumi, were perfectionists- they knew the numbers behind the game, they painstakingly studied technique and optimal builds, and squeezed out every last drop of power they could from what they had to work with. Others, like Kana, were engrossed in the world itself, wondering about background details like ecosystems, in-world economies, and why every adventurer first stepping out of the desert city of Ul’Dah was obliged to murder their way through every harmless marmot they came across. Then, well… then there was Futaba.  
  
“Boom!” Futaba announced, as she obliterated a hapless rodent with a wave of her staff.  
  
Makoto reflexively raised her shield to guard against the edge of the blast, before realizing that this game (thankfully) did not involve friendly-fire. She glanced between her opponent, now a smoking ruin before her, and Futaba, cackling, power crackling at her fingertips.  
  
“This seems just a little unfair,” Makoto mused, smiling.  
  
“Hey, you coulda gone Black Mage, and then you’d be slinging explosions around, too,” Futaba grinned. “Not my fault you went with a dinky little sword.”  
  
“Don’t call it ‘dinky’,” Kana chided. “Don’t be mean.”  
  
“We can’t all be trigger-happy pyromaniacs,” Hifumi smiled.  
  
Futaba snorted. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”  
  
“ _I_ think it suits her,” Hifumi continued. “She’ll be a knight in shining armor…”  
  
“Once I _get_ any armor, at least,” Makoto shrugged. “For now, I’m just stuck with this blouse and thigh-highs.”  
  
Hifumi pointedly glanced down, before meeting and holding Makoto’s gaze.  
  
“...I think _those_ suit you, too,” Hifumi purred.  
  
Makoto bit her lip.  
  
Futaba lingered nearby, watching them. She tugged on Kana’s sleeve.  
  
“Hey,” she whispered.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“This is _really_ gay.”  
  
“ _Taba!_ ”  
  
Makoto and Hifumi’s eyes lingered on each other entirely too long. Then there was a distant, muffled sound, and Makoto abruptly broke away, looking over Hifumi’s shoulder.    
  
“S-Sorry,” Makoto mumbled, sheepish. “Just… just give me a minute.”  
  
Makoto went still, her microphone picking up faint voices in the background. A nearby marmot wandered into threat range and started swiping away. Futaba watched, snickering, as the oversized squirrel chipped away at Makoto’s health with its pathetic, level one claw swipes.  
  
Kana drew her twin knives and killed it with an artful, somersaulting slash.  
  
“Aww!” Futaba complained.  
  
Hifumi rolled her eyes, opening her grimoire and healing Makoto with a flash of pale blue light.  
  
“Sorry, guys,” Makoto returned, with a clatter of her headset settling back into place. “I’ve got to get going. Is it okay if I call it a night?”  
  
“Aww, we didn’t even get to the good stuff yet!” Futaba pouted.  
  
“What do you think of the game so far?” Hifumi asked.  
  
“I’m enjoying it,” Makoto said. “Although, really, I just appreciate the chance to spend more time with you.”  
  
Hifumi blinked, taken aback.  
  
Futaba whistled, and Kana thumped her on the head.  
  
“...A-Anyway,” Makoto pressed on. “I’ll see you all later, then?”  
  
“Of course,” Hifumi murmured, smiling.  
  
“See you!” Kana waved.  
  
“Later, gator!” Futaba grinned.  
  
Makoto smiled, and then, in an anti-climactic blink, logged off.  
  
Hifumi crossed her arms and rested her chin on her knuckle, pensive. Futaba and Kana walked up to flank her. Hifumi smiled, affectionately resting a hand on either of their heads.  
  
Futaba grinned. She dug an elbow into Hifumi’s side- given their height difference, it was more like her digging an elbow into Hifumi’s knee.  
  
“So,” Futaba teased, “I think somebody’s got a little crush on soon-to-be Officer Niijima.”  
  
Hifumi sniffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
  
Futaba stuck her tongue out.  
  
Hifumi sighed, and looked away.  
  
“Besides… I don’t think she even likes girls.”  
  
Futaba laughed so hard and so loud she blew out her microphone. Hifumi bristled, crossing her arms, while Futaba’s ugly laughter rang through her headphones.  
  
Futaba’s character went still while she cackled hysterically, abruptly jumping when Futaba slammed her hands down on her keyboard.  
  
“Taba!” Kana scolded, her hands on her hips. “Taba, you’re being mean!”  
  
“Are you quite finished?” Hifumi asked flatly.  
  
“You should have just _asked_ ,” Futaba said, stifling giggles. “Just tell her. Trust me.”  
  
Hifumi exhaled, pressing her lips into a line.  
  
“I’ll think about it.”  
  
~*~  
  
Out of the four of them, Makoto had the busiest schedule by far. Still, she made time for her newfound guild, whenever she could.  
  
Two weeks later, they had finally made it to what Futaba had called ‘the good stuff’.  
  
Makoto charged, yelling a war cry. She took a running jump and brought her sword around in a wide, sweeping slash, before lifting her blade, emitting a brilliant white flash. Her opponent, a hapless jellyfish, spun from the momentum of the sword swipe, before being dazzled by the blinding flash (somehow, despite not having eyes).  
  
Dazed and reeling, her foe was promptly obliterated in an explosion of dark and fire magics, capped off by a well-placed arrow.  
  
The poor jellyfish vanished in a cloud of dust and roiling smoke. Makoto waved the cloud away with her shield, smiling up at the rest of her party further up the reef.  
  
“So, just like that?” she asked.  
  
“Just like that,” Kana smiled, lowering her bow. “You’re a natural!”  
  
Makoto smiled in gratitude. “Say, weren’t you a Ninja a minute ago?”  
  
“I switched,” Kana shrugged. “Ninja makes me nauseous in first person mode. All those flips and spins, y’know? At least as an Archer, I can stand back and take in the view.”  
  
“Plus, she gets to hang out in the back with me,” Futaba cut in.  
  
“Yeah,” Kana grinned. “That, too.”  
  
They pushed ahead into the dungeon, a cavernous coral reef, making excellent time for a first run. Makoto quickly picked up the basics of the four-person party dynamic: she kept the enemy’s attention on her and endured their attacks with her shield and heavy armor; Kana and Futaba, behind her, rained hell down on their enemies’ heads; and Hifumi, furthest back, and therefore with the widest, tactical view, alternated between healing Makoto’s wounds and adding her own considerable firepower to Kana and Futaba’s onslaught.  
  
The enemy melted beneath their combined firepower. Futaba, in particular, was almost _too_ powerful- as soon as the enemy got a taste of her magic, they broke away from Makoto and went bounding towards Futaba, despite Makoto’s efforts to hold their attention. This might have been a problem, if they didn’t promptly die to a second explosion.  
  
“Boom!” Futaba cackled, giddy, blowing apart a lunging beast with its claws an inch from her face.  
  
As they pushed further into the cavern, the reef slowly made way for a man-made hideout- a smuggler’s den, filled with pirates. Makoto led the way, while Kana and Futaba chattered excitedly at her heels- Kana, explaining how these particular pirates they were fighting had been brainwashed by Leviathan, god of the ocean; Futaba, bragging and babbling about how the next pirate they saw would be getting ‘a faceful of boom’.  
  
Hifumi, however, was strangely quiet.  
  
Their enemies came in small groups, two or three at a time. Makoto, either confident in Futaba’s ability to make them go boom, or simply lost in the moment, bit off a little more than she could chew- and suddenly found herself weathering the assault of nine pirates at once.  
  
Makoto ducked and wove through a sea of limbs and steel, she chopped her gladius down against wrists, hamstrings, throats, broke noses and smashed axes aside with her shield. She darted around the edge of the group, herding them into a nice, packed clump. They suffered for it, blasted apart by exploding fireballs, clouds of wretched, poisoning fog, and skewered through by raining arrows that fell through the air like embers from a bonfire.  
  
It was harrowing- but exhilarating, and when the dust cleared, Makoto emerged from the fight with a burning in her lungs and a fire in her veins.  
  
Wisps of pale, blue-green fire appeared at Hifumi’s fingertips. She pressed a handful of healing power to Makoto’s chest.  
  
Makoto gasped, feeling the surge of power pull her back from critical health. Hifumi met her eyes for a moment, then looked away, her hand still lingering over Makoto’s heart. Makoto smiled, reaching up and squeezing Hifumi’s hand with her own.  
  
“Hey,” Makoto said gently. “Are you okay?”  
  
“I’m fine,” Hifumi murmured. “Just enjoying the view.”  
  
“Yeah,” Makoto nodded, looking up. “The background artists did a great job.”  
  
A trio of pirates appeared at the end of the corridor. Makoto gave Hifumi a cocky smile, before turning and charging forward, her sword flashing in the light.  
  
Hifumi bit her lip. Makoto bellowed a war cry and leapt into the fray.  
  
~*~  
  
Hifumi was torn.  
  
On the one hand, it seemed that Makoto did, indeed, like girls.  
  
On the other, it also seemed that Makoto was not single.  
  
Somehow, after weeks of seeing each other, both at school and online, Hifumi was only finding this out now. Somehow, the topic had never come up, at least not directly. Makoto mentioned her ‘roommates’ often enough.  
  
It turned out, Makoto’s “girlfriends” were not simply her “girl friends”. There was no space between them- certainly not enough for Hifumi to fit in.  
  
Hifumi noted, ruefully, that this was something Futaba could have cared to mention two months ago.  
  
Still, there were other things at stake. They still had a dungeon to crawl, and a battle to win, and Hifumi wasn’t about to let petty disappointment distract her from their victory.  
  
“Hifumi!”  
  
Hifumi jumped. She looked up, just in time to see a cyclops’ massive swing send Makoto flying. Makoto landed on her back with a crunch of metal against stone. The cyclops roared, raising its mighty club over its head.  
  
Flames exploded under its feet. It took a shaky step, wavering. An arrow shot through the air and popped its eye in its socket. It took another unsteady step, gurgled, and died.  
  
Makoto pulled herself to her feet, leaning on her sword. She shot an acid look up the hill at Hifumi.  
  
“What the _hell_ was that?” Makoto snapped.  
  
“ _That_ was completely avoidable,” Hifumi sniffed. “You stayed in his range for too long.”  
  
“I was angling him away so Kana and Futaba wouldn’t get caught in the swing!” Makoto shot back.  
  
“I told you to get out of range,” Hifumi said, her tone frosty. “You’re a paladin, aren’t you? A soldier? A good soldier follows orders.”  
  
“A good soldier looks out for her team,” Makoto growled. “A good leader does that, too. Where was your healing? Where were your shields? I spent a full minute in critical health!”  
  
“I’m sorry, Makoto, I was under the impression you were capable of taking a few hits.”  
  
“Listen here, Hifumi. With all the hits I’ve taken for this team-”  
  
“No, _you_ listen,” Hifumi scowled. “Just because you charge ahead and set the pace of each run does not make you the leader of this team. _I_ am, because I call the shots. I give the orders, and you follow them, and do you know why?”  
  
“Why?” Makoto spat. “Because I’m a ‘good soldier’?”  
  
“Because I have the power to decide who lives, and who dies,” Hifumi snarled. “If I want to keep you nice and topped off, I will. If I want to keep you in critical health and watch you squirm, I will. I hold your life in my hands, Makoto. And I’m not afraid to make you _beg_ for it.”  
  
Hifumi and Makoto stared each other down. Kana and Futaba lingered nearby, uncomfortable.  
  
“Surely, you see my reasoning,” Hifumi said, haughtily. “Do you concede?”  
  
She conjured an orb of healing power, pale blue-green light dancing along her fingertips. She offered it to Makoto, teasing, tempting.  
  
Makoto slapped her hand away.  
  
“I think I’m done for tonight,” Makoto said, and logged off.  
  
Hifumi’s smug facade abruptly crumbled. She stared at the empty space where Makoto was, working her jaw, saying nothing. Eventually, she sighed and crossed her arms, thoughtfully leaning her chin on her hand.  
  
“Shit,” Futaba blurted out into the tense quiet. “Does this mean we gotta find a new tank?”  
  
~*~  
  
Makoto didn’t log in for a week or so after that. Kana and Futaba spent their free time at the Quicksand, wondering if they’d see her in passing, watching the seconds tick by in the corner of the screen.  
  
Futaba sighed, face down on the table. She lifted her head and pulled out the Duty Finder menu as if she were checking her phone, before slipping it away into nothing again.  
  
“Welcome to Duty Finder,” Futaba groaned, “where everyone’s DPS and the ‘average wait time’ doesn’t matter. God, are there _any_ tanks or healers on this server?”  
  
“We’ve been spoiled,” Kana said, laying a hand on Futaba’s head. “With Hifumi around, the wait time’s way shorter. And when we had both Hifumi and Makoto, we could just enter dungeons right away.”  
  
“Yeah…” Futaba murmured.  
  
“I hope they’re okay,” Kana said. “I wonder what they’re up to now?”  
  
“Making out, I hope.”  
  
“Taba!”  
  
“Making _up_ ! I meant _making up_ …!”  
  
~*~  
  
Hifumi sat in the campus cafeteria, a distant look in her eyes. She was poking at her food, and at the tiles on her shogi board. Truthfully, she didn’t have much interest in either.  
  
She didn’t think. That was her problem. Or maybe she thought too much. She thought too much, and she got lost in her own little world, and when it came time to talk to normal people she just… froze.  
  
“Hifumi?”  
  
Hifumi’s heart caught in her throat. She looked up, and found Makoto’s fierce red eyes.  
  
“Hey,” Hifumi said softly.  
  
“Hey,” Makoto returned. She rested a wary hand on the opposite chair.  
  
Hifumi briefly considered hooking her ankle around the foot of the chair so Makoto couldn’t pull it out. She winced, and shoved the thought away. She nudged the chair out, as if giving permission, and Makoto joined her.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Makoto said, wasting no time. “It’s crunch time for midterms next week, and that’s kind of been rubbing my nerves raw. I lost my temper. I apologize.”  
  
“I’m sorry, too,” Hifumi said, clasping her hands in her lap. “Cooperative play is an altogether different beast from playing competitively, one-on-one. Bad habits, ego… you know. I apologize for my behavior. I know I said some… strange things. I was…”  
  
“In-character?” Makoto offered.  
  
“Yes,” Hifumi shrugged. “But that’s no excuse.”  
  
The moment lingered, heavy, in the air. Their eyes met- chestnut-brown and wine-red.  
  
“There’s something about you that I just…” Hifumi trailed off.  
  
“Yes?” Makoto asked.  
  
Hifumi exhaled. “...Never mind. I was just… thinking.”  
  
“It’s what you do best,” Makoto smiled. She nodded at the board. “May I have this game?”  
  
“You’re certainly welcome to the _challenge_ ,” Hifumi smiled, coy, “but if you want to have the _game_ , well, you’re just going to have to fight for it.”  
  
“Who knows?” Makoto teased. “Maybe, this time, I’ll finally wind up on top.”  
  
“Oh, but I just the love the sight of you on your knees.”  
  
Makoto giggled. “Are you, um… Are you flirting with me?”  
  
Hifumi’s composure abruptly faltered.  
  
“What? No! ...Maybe?” Hifumi cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks grow warm. “I- I mean… is that okay…?”  
  
Makoto paused, considering.  
  
“...Well… how about this?” Makoto grinned. “If you win, then you can flirt with me all you like. Even in front of Futaba, since I know that’ll drive her crazy.”  
  
“Tempting,” Hifumi said. “And if you win?”  
  
“If I win, I’ll have won against a master,” Makoto grinned. “I think that’s reward enough.”  
  
Makoto offered her hand.  
  
“Deal?”  
  
Hifumi gently took Makoto’s hand, but did not shake it. Instead, she lifted up her hand and pressed a kiss, feather-light, to Makoto’s knuckles.  
  
“Deal,” Hifumi grinned. “Your move.”  
  
~*~  
  
Months of practice had honed Makoto’s shogi skills considerably.  
  
But she was still no match for a master.  
  
Makoto, for her part, didn’t seem to mind.  
  
~*~


End file.
